Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1887-08-05
A SECRET SILVER MINE.
East Tennessee Mountains Rich in
the Prepcious Metals.

A business engagement summoned me not
long since to little town some two hours by
rail from Chattanooga, says a correspondent Of
The Chattanooga Times, where | met an old
Tennesseean, from whom learned portion
OF the history Of silver mine thirty miles
away. / had known the old Tennesseean for
some time, and had no great difficulty In in-
ducing him to tell me as much Of the his
tory OF the mine as he cared under the circum-
stances, to tell to anyone; for the mine Is no
mystery; but its whereabouts is a profound
mystery to all excepting this old gentleman.
| But was not slow Ia percelvlng by the pc
| cular tone in his conversation that II was a
matter the least talked about by him, al
though never wholly lost sight Of in waking
moments. 1t was an Illustration OF the proyerb
that men talk the least concerning things in
respect of which they think or ponder the
most. On condition that / would disclose
neither his name nor his whereabouts, nor
the county in which the mine is located my
informant gave me permission to publish what
he had said as to his personal knowledge of
the mine itself, and what he had learned from
another concerning it.
The known history of this mne--known to
but one man-may be the history Of other or
similar mines in the state Of Tennessee. No
one save my informant, SO far as | know, has
any absolute knowledge of the whereabouts Of
this mine. For long time the secret was in
possession Of but two persons, who for several
years, took from the mine an annually
stipulated quantity OF silver. This was
sufficient allowance for a whole year, and
the income was an undlsturbed quantity
until the propositions for war between the two
sections of country 'were growing to state
of white heat as the old settler remarked
when they supplied themselves with very
much larger quantity OF the metal and took
their departure to parts unknown, even to
the lynx-cyed conscrption officers Of the com
monwealth of Tennessee, In the then southern
confederacy. The boxes containing the
precious freight were pnt on board a snug,
strong raft aud noated down the Tennessee
river to the Ohio river, and hence put on board
OF one of the steamboats, plying between
New Orleans and Cincinnati. few days
afterward they reached "a place OF safety, aud
the contents were speedily smelted Into bars
of shining silver.
One of the lucky fellows lived to return to
his home on the mountains of Tennessee
years after the close of the war, the other died
abroad, leaving to his companion In possession
of the secret large quantity of silver. The
survivor thinking he might die and the "se-
eretn die with him, looked up a relative of his
deceased companion, made doubly sure OF his
possession of great caution and large secre-
tiyeness, took him into his confidence, and un-
der an oath bound pledge OF secrecy, told him
the exact whereabouts of the silver mine, and
the course, and only course, to take to reach
it, and then vent away, since which time lie
has never returned to his native south. The
course to the mouth Of the mine, said the Ten
nesseean, is not wholly devoid Of peril and
danger, and Is full of hardships 1t Is over a
rough, unbroken country, through thick wood,
the ground covered with thick growth Of
brush and fallen timber, with a long stretch OF
low, marshy lands There is another route,
but 1t was too open and invited any tramp or
traveller to 90 that way. IL was not safe to
take that course Over the secret route |
travelled afoot he said, in pursuit OF the treas
urc trove. For whole day he trudged along
trusting TO instinct and the moss on the south
side of the trees to steer his course Alright
Once a truant stream foied him and carried
him out of his course a considerable distance.
At night he slept on branches cut from trees
beneath whose sheltering roof he lay, full OF
anxiety as to the revelation in store for him on
the morrow. At noon on the second day he spied
the signs which had been told him he would
surely fiud If he was on the right track. These,
to him who could read them, conducted him
to spot where an old pick, concealed In a
rift in the rock, was the prefeX on index to an
opening or mouth in the mountain which no
man, unless sure of the object Of his search
would ever dare TO enter.
Still, although the mine Is rich in silver II
Is a sealed book. 1t Is locked up as securely
as If a thousand miles of the earths surface
were above 1t. The mine can not be operated
until time and other influences shall have 1
modified the ownership of the land in which II
is situated SO that a transfer Of title at least
can be made to persons who would in that
event work 1t. From the paving quantities
In which the precious metal has been taken
out in years gone BY, there is reason to believe
that IT is hardly yet tOuehed Without doubt
there is the substance for the making of two
or three mllionaires, or for the increasing OF
mlllonaires budget SO 900, 900 more, locked
up in certain mountain of Tennessee. we
can not know the entire wealth, or the evil
dences of the entire wealth of the state of Ten
nessee let us be thankful for a modicum Of
the evidences OF wealth IN whatever form they
may be vouchsaled to us, trusting TO the modi
( ing Influences of time for the ultimate de
velopment Of the vast mineral wealth Of the
state.